Baja Epic - No Flak Jacket Required

With the recent unease in the area the field was a bit depleted with at least one pro team and a number of riders dropping out of the race in the final week. The reduced field (all 28 of us) dropped the usual prerace prepping and immediately gathered at the bar for the free margaritas being served up!

The field favorite ended up being Ryan LaBar of BIKE magazine who was handing out swag as he posed with this awesome ride, BIKE magazines monthly feature bike, the SHIT Bike. This thing has been around Moab, used as a commuter bike and thrashed by Wade Simmons on the North Shore. While he suffered on the climbs due to the geometry Ryan crushed the monster descent off Mike’s Sky Ranch on stage 3.

Stage 1 would see a 65 mile leg and 7800’ of climbing, with Evan Plews being the only pro. Right from the start everyone was viewing this as a more intimate race with the chance to really get to know you competitors since there were so few to ride with each day. We rolled off with a seaside start right on the Pacific Ocean, with akido like reflexes I headed straight for the hard sand and sped off into the lead with Seagal siting the course.

From there we headed inland along the back farm roads that challenged every rider with mangy dogs chasing you as each farmhouse rolled by. Within the first 5 miles the climbing began with steep rolling hills, the highlight being the steep climb up Tequila Hill were our group of 7 stopped at the summit for shots of Mexico’s finest before setting back out to the first rest stop.

The wrist snapping began around mile 45 with a long road climb to the second aide station where I thinned the group down form 6 to 2. Right out of the aide station we were off on an 18 mile uphill grind into headwinds blowing 20+ mph - a kick to the jewels would have felt better. Managed to snap a couple of more wrists before rolling into Tecate to end day 1. In Masters I grabbed my first stage win and was able to take 6 minutes out of second.

Stage 2, an 85 miles slog across the back country of Baja, on paper looked to be fairly easy with only 5500’ of climbing, until the prerace meeting revealed the presence of 13 -17 miles of deep sand that would be unrideable, and the fact that we would be sharing a section of the course with the Baja race vehicles that were prerunning the course for next week’s race.

Race day dawned with temps in the low 40’s and the continuation of yesterday's menacing headwind, which stayed with us for the first 53 miles of the course. This was the first time I have had to walk flat section due to the deep sand. The other option being riding through the bush (with it’s thorns and rattlers) to stay in the hard pack – tried both and went for the walking. The stage ended with a fast descent down hardpack road with sections of deep sand and of course a pitbull that was all teeth and drool chasing you near the bottom. After the downhill we were treated to 6 miles of washboard road (some of the riders swore they would be sterile afterwards) with sections of deep sand before rolling into the finish that included young bmx riders throwing rocks at some of us! Again I nabbed another stage win, further padded my lead by 35 minutes and snapped a pair of wrists. This time would prove vital as the bronchitis I had been battling the past few weeks was coming back in a big way.

Stage 3 kicked off with a 2.5 hour bus ride to the Valle de Trinidad. The day's 53 miles and 6800’ of climbing opened with what was fast becoming the traditional 5 mile sand and washboard slog to the base of the climb to Mike’s Sky Ranch, which featured pitches in excess of 18 degrees. The descent was fast and rocky, serving up 2 flats before I finally pulled into the first rest stop. The ensuing hike a bike to the summit was followed with a descent that was better suited for the Red Bull Challenge then a stage race. Feeling like someone had me in a bear hug the entire stage I marked time against second in Master’s over the balance of the course.

The final descent was another fast dirt road section made all the more tricky by the loss of my rear brakes, the sand having finally worn them to the point of no return. Of course to make us all suffer just a bit more, the final 5 miles were over (drumroll please) sandy washboard road. I struggled in second in Masters losing 8 minutes of my lead. Then back on the bus for 2.5 hours of beer drinking and countless piss breaks before getting to the hotel and dinner.

Here's yours truly giving the stud muffin pose after a night of hard drinking before stage 4.

Stage 4 was shortened to just under 40 miles and 2200’ of climbing after most everyone agreed that there had been enough sand and the 3 mile beach section near the finish should be dropped, which it was. By now the bronchitis was so bad I could hardly breath and knew I would be giving up time, the question was how much.

It only got worse on the first descent when I hit a bone jarring ditch in the trail that even Stan’s couldn't save. This was really beginning to really suck ass and would suck even more ass when midway through the stage I suffered a third and fourth flat. With no tubes left I went begging from anyone and managed to score enough to get to the finish. The sight of the Pacific before the final descent had me dreaming of margaritas, shots and beer. I Upheld the honor of Team Seagal NECS, coming home 6^th overall and first in Masters with an 8 minute lead. Now it’s Margarita time!

To get an idea of what it is really like in Baja these days check out this link - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/business/25road.html?ref=business